Hillsdale College 172nd Commencement

172nd Hillsdale College Commencement

Pat Sajak, Chairman of the Hillsdale College Board of Trustees, addresses the Class of 2024 as Commencement speaker.

Patrick L. Sajak has been the host of Wheel of Fortune longer than anyone has hosted any program in the history of American television. He joined the show in 1981 and has been at the helm for more than 7,000 episodes. He began his broadcasting career as a radio announcer in Chicago in 1967, while attending Columbia College. He left school to join the Army in 1968 and served as the morning disc jockey on the American Forces Vietnam Network in Saigon. Following his military service, his career took him to Washington, D.C., Kentucky, Tennessee, and, in 1977, to Los Angeles. Less than five years later, he was named the host of Wheel of Fortune. He previously served as a board member at the Claremont Institute in California when it was headed by Dr. Arnn. Sajak has served on Hillsdale’s Board of Trustees since 2002. He was the vice chairman from 2003 to 2019 and was named chairman in 2019. He and his wife Lesly have two grown children and split their time between California and Maryland.

4:03 National Anthem
5:44 Invocation
7:05 Pledge of Allegiance
7:33 Welcome by Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn.
32:33 Commencement Address by Patrick L. Sajak
52:22 Conferring of Honorary Degrees
1:01:52 Special Music by the Hillsdale College Chamber Choir
1:08:56 Remarks by the 2024 Class President, Joesph W. Perez
1:21:46 Conferring of Doctoral and Master's Degrees
1:31:00 Conferring of Baccalaureate Degrees
2:40:25 Trustee Remarks
2:41:55 Alma Mater sung by the Hillsdale College Chamber Choir
2:43:37 Benediction
2:45:51 Recessional